At the heart of The Contented Bear
A moon bear in the forest, their rightful home.
There are eight species of bear in the world including the Sun Bear and the Moon Bear. Sun bears are the smallest of all, measuring approximately 100 -150cm in length and are named after the unique golden shape on their chest which resembles the rising sun. Moon bears are medium sized bears with a cream coloured patch on their chests redolent of a crescent moon and symbolise power, good fortune and a mother’s strength. Both bears share habitats across south-east Asia and are honey loving, intelligent animals with a keen social sensitivity. Both are now listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Free The Bears runs the largest Sun & Moon bear sanctuary in South East Asia having rescued more than 1,000 bears since its inception in 1995. They rescue sun, moon & sloth bears from all forms of exploitation and trade and recently undertook the largest ever bear rescue in south-east Asia of 27 moon bears from a bear bile farm - a place of unspeakable cruelty. Nursing mother bears found in the wild are killed and their babies poached. They are imprisoned in cages too small to move or stand in and are then subjected to the repeated extraction of bile from their gallbladder. This is done by making a new incision every time, twice a day, for up to thirty years, the wounds remain untreated.
The bears that are rescued have suffered too much and the infections caused from the untreated wounds are myriad. Many have developed cancer of the liver, are blind, have no teeth, broken bones and broken minds and spirits. Their only hope are small charities like Free The Bears who rescue, nourish and tend to these bears and who lobby and actively change the laws surrounding this practice. Progress has been made and in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia laws have been introduced prohibiting the extraction of bile from bears and the capture of wild bears. However bile farmers have been allowed to keep bears already in captivity because the bears are too unwell to be released into the wild and there are no rescue centres near enough. Animal welfare charities have been trying to rapidly expand sanctuary capacities whilst also leading campaigns to educate consumers and change public opinion about the useage of bear bile as a medicine. The campaigns have been successful and in Vietnam which once had one of the largest bear bile industries in the world, attitudes have changed, demand has dropped and many farms have closed as a consequence.
However there are thought to be 20,000 more bears suffering interminably in China, the largest offender for bear bile farming and trading. The aim is to liberate all bears from this suffering and if possible ultimately release them back in to the forest, which needs the bears as much as they need the forest. Free The Bears and other charities like them are their only hope, to understand and support their extraordinary work visit their website below: